Showing posts with label 2016 at 02:23AM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2016 at 02:23AM. Show all posts

Friday, December 2, 2016

Beware: U.S. Airport Taxi Rides Cost Far More Than Fares

<p>Click to enlarge (Source: Blacklane; graphic modified by LCT for online dimensions)</p>BERLIN — Taxi costs from the 30 busiest U.S. airports to downtowns are 26% higher than base fares, according to new Blacklane research. Extras in New York/New Jersey, Las Vegas, Boston, Washington and Detroit push prices up at least 35%. The charges include tips, airport pickup fees, rush hour surcharges, and toll roads.

“Local regulations make it next to impossible to know how much taxis will cost. Travelers and corporate travel managers cannot budget for the full prices in advance,” said Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane. “Price certainty reduces the stress of travel. That’s why we have shown all-inclusive fares since day one.”

Taxi rides from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Manhattan add more than 50% to the base fare. While fares range from $50 to $70, extras cost over $30. These include a $5 surcharge during peak hours, a $5.50 surcharge to use a credit card, a $12.50 bridge or tunnel toll, and tip.

<p>All-in rates with no surprise fees results in cool customers. (Photo by Blacklane)</p>Blacklane guarantees fixed and all-inclusive rates when travelers book their rides across 250 cities and 500 airports. All drivers and vehicles are commercially licensed and insured. Airport pickups include one hour of free wait time. Pickup times automatically adjust when flight arrival times change.

Travelers book rides an hour to months in advance in premium business-, first- and economy-class vehicles. Passengers receive their drivers’ contact information over text and email an hour before pick-up.

About Blacklane (blacklane.com): Blacklane connects passengers with the spare capacities of licensed, regulated, and insured professional drivers and chauffeurs. Corporate and individual customers can book and schedule rides in more than 50 countries worldwide. Blacklane guarantees low and all-inclusive fixed rates at the time of the booking with a unique pricing and dispatching algorithm. The company combines multilingual 24/7 customer care with real-time service control for tens of thousands of vehicles.

Source: Blacklane news release

Keywords

airports   apps   Blacklane   rates   service pricing   taxis   vehicle apps   

 

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Mass. TNC Drivers Face Background Checks Sooner Than Expected

<p>Dav El / BostonCoach CEO Scott Solombrino, pictured here Nov. 13 at an industry associations forum during LCT-NLA Show East, says despite the expanded Mass. background checks for TNC drivers, the fight for more thorough fingerprint checks is far from over (LCT file photo)&nbsp;</p>Drivers for Uber and Lyft in Massachusetts must pass a state-run background check by early April, sooner than expected, under a new agreement between the companies and Governor Charlie Baker’s administration.

The popular on-demand ride services already require their drivers to pass background checks conducted by third-party vendors before they can get on the road. But a law passed over the summer brought the state into the fold, requiring drivers to both pass the company check and one from the state.

Fingerprinting will continue to be a contentious issue. Scott Solombrino, CEO of Dav El / BostonCoach Chauffeured Transportation Network and a board director of the National Limousine Association, said the fight isn’t over. He expects to see legislation next year that would add the fingerprint check to the process.

“The state’s making an attempt to do the right thing based on how the law was written,” he said. “Good for the state, but it doesn’t change the fact we think there’s an even better system and it’s called fingerprinting.”

Taxi drivers are not required by state law to undergo fingerprinting, although they are in some cities, including Boston.

Solombrino said he wonders whether any current Uber drivers who passed the companies’ background checks will be forced off the road by the state’s check.

“That’s something we’ll know in the next six months: How many more people passed their background checks than passed the state’s review?” he said.

Boston Globe article here

Keywords

background checks   Boston operators   Lyft   Massachusetts operators   regulatory enforcement   Scott Solombrino   state regulations   TNCs   Uber   

 

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What Will Trump’s Transportation Pick Mean For TNCs?

<p>Photo via Wikipedia Commons&nbsp;<em>This work is in the <strong><a class="extiw" title="w:public domain" href="http://ift.tt/1mnjwz6">public domain</a></strong> in the United States because it is a work of the <a title="United States Department of Labor" href="http://ift.tt/2gTE0nw">United States Department of Labor</a>under the terms of</em> Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code <em>and the <a class="external text" href="http://ift.tt/2fNuztF" rel="nofollow">DOL copyright policy</a></em></p>President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. Secretary of Transportation is likely a boon for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft.

On Tuesday, Trump announced he’s selected Elaine Chao to lead the Department of Transportation during his presidency. Chao, who is married to U.S. Senator and Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), was previously the Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush, and Deputy Secretary of Transportation under President George H. W. Bush.

Fortune Magazine article here

Keywords

federal regulations   gig economy   industry politics   Lyft   regulatory enforcement   TNCs   Trump   U.S. Department of Transportation   Uber   

 

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2017 Operator Of The Year Awards Ready For You

TORRANCE, Calif. — The LCT team has been getting frequent questions about next year’s Operator of the Year Awards, and now we have all the answers.

The annual LCT Operator of the Year Awards is taking applications online through Feb. 1, 2017. LCT gives the awards to six operators who excel in the areas of customer service, technology, training, media and marketing, safety, and community/industry involvement. A panel of judges scores finalists in each of those categories for the following OOY awards:

1-10 fleet vehicles; 11-30 fleet vehicles; 31-50 fleet vehicles; 51+ fleet vehicles; motorcoach; and global/international.

ENTRY FORM HERE (The form also can be accessed at the top of the LCTmag.com home page through starry link “LCT Awards”)

Winners will be announced and honored on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the LCT Magazine Awards Gala at the International LCT Show in the Sands Expo between The Palazzo and The Venetian Resort Hotel Casinos in Las Vegas. 

The National Limousine Association and LCT Magazine will also present the annual Association Award of Excellence to a state, city, or regional limousine trade association. Details and entry form here. For any questions, please call NLA executive director Sarah Gazi at (800) 652-7007.

Keywords

Association Award of Excellence   awards   casinos   honors and awards   ILCT 2017   industry events   Las Vegas   LCT Events   limo tradeshows   NLA   Operator of the Year Awards   tradeshow preparation   

 

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Six Customer Service Secrets For Success

<p><a href="http://ift.tt/2bNOkQk">Photo via PEXELS user Ruslan Burlaka</a></p>Here are the six elements that can position your organization for customer service success. Although be forewarned: Excellence in customer service and the customer experience isn’t a puzzle or riddle that can be solved once and for all. It’s going to require sustained diligence and focus, because inertia and pushback will otherwise inevitably set in.

Forbes article here

Keywords

business management   customer service   employee management   hiring   how to   staff management   staff training   tips for success   

 

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Luxury Travel Industry To Reach $1.2 Billion By 2020

<p><a href="http://ift.tt/2dqzNWQ">Photo via PEXELS user Isabelle Bruce</a></p>Baby boomers are the leading demographic making up the luxury travel market spend with higher numbers of annual visits, according to Allied Market Research.

The new Luxury Travel Market report shows luxury travel is increasing with a compound annual growth rate of 6.4%, eventually leading the industry to $1.2 billion by 2020. While baby boomers aged 51 to 69 lead the pack, Gen X follows, but is more known for preferring to travel with multiple generations of the family such as kids, parents, and grandparents.

Luxury Daily article here

Keywords

leisure travel   luxury market trends   research and trends   

 

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